The Start of a War
by ravenclawpotterhead
Summary: A lone demigod wanders the labyrinth. So many enemies it holds. Will she make it out alive?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hi. My name is Sage. Sage Walker. A few words about me. I have dark brown hair and eyes, olive skin, and I'm a pretty good swordfighter. Oh, and my dad is Hades, Lord of the Dead. Just so you know. So that makes me a demigod. Half god and half mortal. My mom is the mortal, obviously. But she's gone. Not dead gone. Just gone. She wasn't so great anyways. Doesn't matter. I've gotten along just fine on my own for 10 years since she left. She left when I was four. I woke up and she was gone. Gone like the wind.

So, you've all head about the labyrinth. How some Greek chick had an affair with a bull and had a bull man baby and then stuck it in the labyrinth? Yeah. That labyrinth, it's in America now. It moved with the "heart of Western Civilization" or something. I really don't remember. But so I'm in this labyrinth. Not because I want to be here. Really I'm just looking for this guy, Luke Castellan. He's sided with Kronos, who's this evil Titan lord guy, and is trying to bring him back from the depths of Tartarus. And I'm not about to deal with a big war or anything. So I'm gonna go find this guy and kick his butt. Tell him not to do that. All that jazz. Oh, and for the record, he's like the best swordsman in forever.

I've got my Celestial bronze (the only thing to kill monsters with) sword out. It's a hand and a half (about 3.5 feet long). Its glow lights my way. That's pretty much the only way I'm seeing where I'm going. Not that I know where I'm going. I'm just sort of going. I'm poking my head around this corner and for once, I don't see a monster that I need to kill. Thank the gods.

"Looking for something?" I hear behind me. I jump, almost dropping my sword, and whip around. I'm ready to fight, with my sword raised and everything. It's Luke. The guy I've been searching everywhere for with no avail just walks up behind me.

"Yeah. You. And don't you even ask why. 'Cause I'm pretty sure you know why," I snarl. I'm not about to let him pull that blond-hair-blue-eyes thing that always shatters my resolve. I just have a thing for blue eyes. What can I say? "I'm not going to let you get Kronos back."

"Like you really have a choice, Sage." I stagger back like I've been punched. How does he know my name? I've never even been to Camp Half-Blood (a safe place for demigods. Please. Like someplace like that really exists). "Oh, I have my sources," he said before I had a chance to retort.

"I'm sure you do, Luke. And they're called spies. Just so you know." I leap forward and swing my sword in a move that, in a perfect world, would have chopped his stupid head off. But I don't live in a perfect world. Far from it. So naturally, he blocks my strike and lunges toward me. I must say, I felt challenged by him. And I welcome a near impossible challenge. Key word: near. I could beat this guy.

I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing really. My brain automatically knew what to do. How to parry, strike, roll, stab, block. I was on autopilot. I was analyzing patterns in his fighting style. He was really good. Like unbeatable good. I felt like taking a risk. I went to step past his guard and knock the sword out of his hand so I could properly decapitate this guy, when he slaps my wrist with the flat of his blade and my sword clatters to the floor. I smile, panting. It was a good fight. We'd both managed to get little cuts in on each other. I was bleeding more than him though. By far. I raised my hands to shoulder level. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction of knowing that I was definitely scared out of my wits and knew I was going to die. I held my chin up and looked at him defiantly. But he wasn't looking at me. He was looking over my shoulder at something or someone behind me.

"Nakamura. Tie her hands. Behind her back. Tight." Luke had his sword point resting at the hollow at the base of my neck. It was cold. I didn't dare move. I knew that if I did, I was a dead man. No doubt about it. So naturally, I took another risk. Being a daughter of Hades, I knew I had the ability to shadow travel. As in, I can melt into the shadows and come up somewhere else. I mean, I've never tried it before but there's a first time for everything, right? I willed myself to become the shadows around me. But of course, with my luck, it didn't work.

"So," I said, "what now?" I cocked my hip. I wasn't going to let this guy get to me. Not at all. Never. Crap. He got to me. I'm on the defensive.

"See, we have this place. It's where we put people that we don't want ruining our plans. Like you. And others. If you're lucky, you get a cell all by yourself. Then you'll last longer. Maybe. Oh, and don't worry. Your cell is special. You can't shadow travel away from there. Not like you'll have the strength after a couple hours." Luke grinned, distorting the scar on his face. He nodded to Nakamura, who had successfully tied my hands so tight that I was sure my fingers weren't there anymore. I definitely couldn't feel them to make sure. "Let's go. She can stay with Kampê."

I snorted. Just my luck. Nakamura had taken me to what was definitely Alcatraz. I had no doubt that's where I was. He had untied my hands, but before I could react in my startled and monotonous state, he had shackled my hands to the floor. It was like handcuffs. But connected to the floor so all I could do was walk a good five feet away from my little corner. Just enough to get to the toilet and no further. I snorted again. I sat in the corner where the chain started. I looked around. True to his word, there wasn't I speck of shadow in my cell. I cursed Luke. I didn't know how long I would be here. Seeing as how I was pretty sure I was the only demigod in here, I wasn't sure if I has even going to get fed. Sure enough as soon as I thought it, Luke was there.

"You only get fed once a day, just so you know. Don't exert yourself." He winked at me and walked away.

Dear god. How was I going to survive this? If hopelessness didn't kill me, starvation would. That or blood loss eventually. I had already gotten my wrists to start bleeding as I tugged on my shackles. I was stuck. I was going to die. And nobody would know or care. Awesome.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

How long has it been? Two months? Three? I had lost count of the days. My wrists have finally healed up. I gave up tugging after the first week or so. Better I die of starvation, which I can't control, than blood loss, which would be my fault.

I passed weeks just sitting in my corner and only moving to go to the bathroom and eat. I was withering away. Little by little. Lack of sunlight had turned my tan skin into pale nothingness. I couldn't stand the fact that there was nothing I could do. And to add to my aggravation and pain, Luke would come in occasionally to update me on his evil progress and beat on me a bit. I learned to just sit there and take it. I fought back a couple times in the beginning. But that didn't do anything satisfying for me other than giving him a new scar on his arm in the shape of my teeth.

My monotony was broken one day by my jailer. Kampê. She was a pretty sight. Just kidding. She made me want to claw my eyes out. It was tempting. She wasn't there to let me out (yeah, right) or give me a small meal or anything. Just there to gloat at my hopelessness. "It has been almost 6 months. You are not dead yet. I am surprised."

I didn't respond immediately. I raised my head off my chest and looked her in her eyes. "Shocking isn't it?" I still hadn't lost my sarcasm. I was still pretty good at that. You know that old saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me'? I don't live by that. I can take away your will to live with words. I'm just that mean.

She hissed at me. I knew I was her only human prisoner. Well, half human. I was half god. Like that was helping my situation. I had tried praying to my dad. He didn't do squat. Kampê hissed again. "I have permission to kill you after the sixth month."

Well. That was nice to hear. Release. Finally. I smiled at her. "You can put a rush on that. How about after the fifth month? I'm really getting bored here."

She smirked. I could tell that she liked this. She nodded. Awesome. My torture would be over soon. I could go on and see my dad. Maybe he'd cut me some slack. Maybe I could just do the Fields of Asphodel instead of eternal punishment. I could do that. An eternity of nothingness. I'd excelled at it for 5 months. I could so do eternity.

The next day, Luke came by my cell again. But instead of being unarmed, he had his sword, Backbiter. Alright. We could end it now. That's cool. Whatever floats his boat. I was done caring or counting the days. I was done trying. I just was. He looked at me. It wasn't the normal 'I-can't-wait-to-pound-on-you' look. It was a 'you're-in-so-much-trouble' look. And it was a pretty scary look. I was sort of cowering in my corner. But if you tell anyone that, I swear I will hunt you down. Got that? Good. "Alright. Let's go. Up you get." He jerked his sword point up, gesturing that I was supposed to stand up. "You're a real pain in my butt, you know that, right?"

"That's what I'm here for, Luke." I stood shakily, using the wall to the extreme. "That's been the highlight of the last five months of my life. Making yours hell," I said as he walked slowly into my cell. I held out my chained wrists. He slowly unhooked the handcuffs from the chain on the floor.

"You didn't honestly think that I was going to undo those now, did you?" he smirked at me. I saw that he had my sword belted on. "Oh, yeah. You get to carry that." He took of my sword and belted it on to my thin waist. He looked at my puzzled face. "I decided that you get to fight in the arena today. To the death. Isn't that exciting?" he said as he put his hand on my shoulder and attempted to steer me out of my cell. I had almost forgotten how to walk. But that didn't matter. I could barely hold myself up. He ended up putting his arm around my waist and supporting me almost the whole way.

We were halfway there when I heard something up ahead. I gasped softly. Luke heard it too and looked at me. I jerked my chin up ahead, shook my head, and shrugged. He pulled me in front of him, right up against his chest like a shield, and drew Backbiter. I couldn't help but realizing how ripped he was. It was nice. I used my power to sense monsters underground (Hades thing) and reached out. I shuddered when I felt the mind of a demigod. This demigod wasn't anyone I recognized. I stretched up and whispered in Luke's ear. "Demigod."

He kept his arm around my waist and across my thin stomach as we slowly shifted forwards. We came to a torch mounted on the wall and stopped, waiting for the half-blood. Well, he was waiting, I was almost passing out. The demigod stepped into the light of the torch. He was skinny. Not like starvation-skinny but built skinny. He had black hair, dark eyes, and wore an aviator's jacket. His sword, Stygian iron, was held out from his side. He took one look at me, looked at Luke and raised his sword, ready to attack. Without missing a beat, Luke swept his sword up and laid the edge not so gently against my neck. I raised my chin for two reasons. One, to show the demigod. Two, to get the sword away from my chin. That second one was instinct. It didn't really help much. Just kidding. It didn't help at all. Luke's arm had shifted to be right above my elbows. I raised my arms and held onto his arm. Again for three reasons. One, support. Two, to show the demigod. Three, to get my feet under me to push my chin up farther.

"Lower your sword." Luke's voice was deathly calm. He pushed his sword into my neck ever so slightly. I flinched.

"I'm not going to fight you. I know you. Luke." The demigod sheathed his sword and raised his arms. "I'm just passing through. You never know what you're going to meet in the labyrinth."

"Nico di Angelo. You ran away from camp." Luke shifted his sword. But he didn't remove it from my neck. "Make a move and I will kill her."

"I don't even know her. All I've gathered is that she's on her last legs, and she's your prisoner. I want nothing to do with that." He cocked his head slightly and backed up. I was holding my breath. I didn't want Luke to hurt this kid. "I'm going to shadow travel away now. If that's alright?"

"Yeah. Feel free. But know that next time, I won't hesitate to run you through with this." He twitched his sword. "Go on."

"What of her?" He nodded towards me. His eyes didn't leave Luke's.

"What of her? Why does she matter to you?" Luke all but threw me to the ground at the side of his feet. It was all I could do to catch myself. He marched up to Nico and got right in his face. Nico casually rested his hand on the pommel of his sword.

"Nothing. I don't want to see another useless casualty in your war. That's all." He stepped back and seemed to melt into the shadows. "Good luck." I could see his eyes on me. I got his message. He'd be back. He saw my slight jerk when he said 'shadow travel'. He knows I'm a daughter of Hades. By the time I had gotten through that thought chain, Luke was standing in front of me. He saw my eyes harden. He knew my resolve was strengthened.

"You know what? I'm going to put you back in you cell. For another five months. But you aren't going to be able to get comfortable in your corner this time." The cruelty in his voice was palpable. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. He basically dragged me all the way back to my cell. When we got back, I was scanning the corners for a chain but before I could scan all the corners, my eyes fell on a chain dangling from the ceiling. I backed into Luke. No. No. I wasn't going to survive this time. Not even close. He pushed me in and jerked my arms above my head. I was almost standing on my tiptoes to reach the end of the chain. He attached it to the cuffs and left. Shaking his head. Scowling. He turned around, as if to say something. In that moment, before he left, I saw something in his eyes. He didn't want to kill me. He didn't want to hurt me. He cared.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I expected to be left alone, hanging from the ceiling, for weeks. But not four days after Luke left, I heard new voices. A girl, two boys, and someone else. This someone else was not human. I could tell. I considered crying out. What if they could help me? What if they would kill me? Silent it is. They came to the edge of the bars on my cell. It was a girl, a boy, a satyr, and a Cyclopes. I could tell they were friends. I shifted my feet as quiet as I could. Having been in the same position for days, the little movement was murder on my shoulders. I let out an involuntary groan. The Cyclopes heard me. He poked the boy.

"Percy. There is a girl in there. She is sad," the Cyclopes said to the boy. The Cyclopes had a big brown eye in the middle of his head. He poked the boy again. "Percy. She needs help. She is hurting." The Cyclopes persistence made the boy turn and look at me.

"What, Tyson?" he asked before he had really seen me. "Oh. That's what." This boy, Percy, had black hair and sea green eyes. While wandering the labyrinth, I heard of a son of the Sea God. This must be him. "Oh, gods." He looked at the lock on the cell. "Tyson, can you pull these off?"

"Yes." Tyson grabbed the bars and pulled them off. Like clean off. He rested them against the wall outside my cell. "We need to help her."

Percy and the girl walked towards me cautiously. Being half-conscious, I just groaned and sagged against the chains. I barely noticed that Percy had a bronze sword out and the girl was holding a dagger. The girl looked at me with gray eyes that I could tell held so much knowledge. "Percy, she's not doing good. No matter what side she's on, we need to help her."

"I know, Annabeth," he addressed the girl. "She's really thin. And pale. Can you catch her? I'm going to cut her down." He raised his sword and I saw it had the word Anaklusmos. Before I could protest, he had cut the chain like it was butter. I collapsed to the floor and not a moment too soon, Annabeth caught me and lowered me the rest of the way. My wrists were still chained but I didn't care.

"Hey. Uh, do you think this is hers?" the satyr asked. He trotted in holding my sword. Luke must have left it there when he took me back here.

"Maybe. I don't know, Grover. We should take it with us anyways." Percy knelt beside me and looked at me. All I could comprehend was that he had gorgeous eyes.

"It – It's mine," I managed to rasp out. Even talking took so much energy that I just didn't have. I hadn't eaten but once in four days. Percy looked at me, confused. I slowly raised my arm to point at my sword and the other arm came with. The chain in between my wrists was that short. I had never noticed it before. The length of it.

"Well, she clearly can't fight like this. And we're not leaving her here. We've no idea what Luke will do if he finds her like this. On the floor half dead." I went to answer him and tell him about Luke but by mouth felt like paper. I gestured for water. Annabeth grabbed a canteen and gave me my first real drink of water in days. It was great.

"Luke knows I'm here. He brought me here." That was all I could manage. My vision turned black at the edges when I pushed myself into a sitting position. Percy went to pick me up and carry me. I couldn't even raise my arms to put them around his neck. They were still chained together. When he picked me up, my stomach dropped. I tensed automatically. He readjusted me to get more comfortable and when we started moving I could swear my stomach didn't get the memo. I rested my head against his chest. I tried closing my eyes. I was amazed. Overjoyed. I was saved. I wasn't going to die. Well, correction. Being a demigod is dangerous. I wasn't going to die of starvation in that cell. My breathing slowed. I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to be awake. My body protested and slipped into the comforting black of unconsciousness.

When I woke up I was sitting on a floor with my back propped up against a wall. I freaked. I didn't know where I was. I didn't know how I got here or who had brought me here. I went to push myself farther up the wall to see everyone and everything around me but my wrists were still chained together and I couldn't put them on either side to push myself up. So I made do with alternating sides until I was happy with my position. I saw three sleeping figures and one propped up on the wall a ways away. There was a glowing strip of bronze across the person's lap. It was Percy. Keeping watch. It dawned on me that they must have been on a quest.

He heard me shift and looked over at me. He saw I was awake and quietly moved over to me. "How're you feeling?" he asked. I could hear the care in his voice.

I cleared my throat. "I feel like I've been in a cell for almost 6 months, been starved, threatened, used as a human shield and hostage against a guy called Nico, and tortured about every day, albeit in different methods like punching, kicking, thrown, and hung from a ceiling. I feel good." I smiled softly as he chuckled.

"You said", he paused "No. I should wait until everyone else is awake. That way you don't have to say it twice," Percy said as he fiddled with his sword. He saw my eyes on it and my nervousness (if you had been through what I had, you'd be nervous too) and took out a regular pen cap. He touched it to the end of his sword and it shrunk to a ballpoint pen. He put it in his pocket. He noticed my expression and said, "It's magic."

"I guessed so." I folded my hands on my lap, the chain rustling. I figured he would have cut it by now. But then, they did meet a half-dead demigod in a cell who they didn't trust who could turn around and kill them all. Alright. I can deal with that. I understand. I shot a glance in his direction to see if he heard the chain or was feigning deafness. Feigning deafness it was.

Percy turned his head at the sound of everyone getting up and rubbing their eyes. He gestured for them to come over. As they crowded around, I drew my legs up to my chin and dropped my arms around them, making myself a ball. My shoulders still ached. And not so dully. They sat down in a semi-circle around Percy and me. He turned his head to look at me and nodded. "Tell us the whole story. Truthfully." There was a hardness in his voice.

"Where do I start? I guess the beginning." I cleared my throat. "I wandered the labyrinth. I wanted to find and kill Luke. I'm not about to deal with a huge Titan-God war. So I went looking for him. And instead of me finding him, he found me. He knew my name. He knew everything about me. He knew my dad was Hades. He knew I was going to try shadow travelling away after our fight. By the way, we had a helluva sword fight. I almost won. Key word: almost. He disarmed me. Fast. Well not really fast. But fast. He called some guy up who was behind me. Nakamura. He tied my hands and brought me to my cell. He chained my wrists," I held up my wrists, "and connected them to a chain in the floor. Then he left. I was fed once a day for five months. Luke would come and beat on me. Then Kampê came, I'm going to go out on a ledge here and say you guys know her, and said she had permission to kill me after my sixth month there. I said, as sarcastic as I am, make it snappy. Move it up a month. A day later, Luke came and said that he was going to have me fight in an arena to the death."

"That doesn't seem like fun," Percy interjected. He looked at me. "Sorry."

I waved his apology away. "I could barely walk. I practically hadn't moved in five months. I was half starved. He supported my weight for practically the whole way there. Then we met Nico, I think it was. Dark hair, aviator jacket. Luke used me as a hostage/human shield. Nico said that he would be back. He looked at me and said 'good luck'. He knew I was a daughter of Hades. He was going to come back for me. Luke took me back to my cell and chained me to the ceiling. I only ate once since then. Four days after that, you guys show up. That's it. I was ready to give up. Just hang there and die. I was halfway there already." I looked at all of them. "Thanks." I lowered my head and stared at my knees.

"Alright then. Guess we know all that then," Grover said. He was sitting awkwardly. Fiddling with something. Reed pipes. I smiled. I hadn't heard music for almost six months.

I pointed to them. "You know any songs?" I grinned at him. He looked sheepishly (goatishly?) at me and then his pipes and nodded. "Can you play, please? I haven't heard anything nice in forever. I was alone before Luke and then I was alone in my cell. I haven't heard music in months."

"Sure." He smiled and put his pipes to his lips and played a quick tune. I gave a shaky laugh. That's something else that hadn't happened in a long time. I laughed again. Just a quick tune was so beautiful. It brought memories of everything nice to my head. My family. Percy's caring nature. The look Luke gave me before he left for good. The thought of Luke instantly turned my thoughts black. I must have had a sour look on my face 'cause Grover looked at me and said, "It's not that bad, is it?"

"No, no! It was beautiful. Thank you." Before he could say anything, I leaned forward, tucked my legs beneath me, and gave him a hug. He just sat there, shocked. I threw my head back and laughed. After a second or two, Grover joined in. Then everyone else was laughing, too. We were literally rolling on the floor with laughter.

Then we heard it. Footsteps. Fast footsteps. Running footsteps. We were scrambling for weapons when I rolled towards Percy and held up my wrists. "Cut them!" Without a second thought, he slashed riptide through the middle of the chain. I rolled towards my sword, unsheathed it, and came up with my sword ready to deflect a blow. And not a moment too soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

There was Luke. Bearing down on me with Backbiter, a snarl on his face. I immediately knew I was at a disadvantage. I was weak from starvation and dehydration. Luke wasn't. Lucky for me, I was right against the wall. I braced my right foot against the wall and shoved as hard as I could. It was enough. Luke stumbled back and I took a quick glance around. Percy was fighting Nakamura. Annabeth was fighting a dracaenae. Tyson was fighting a monster I didn't recognize and Grover was battling an empousa without much luck. Before I could say a word, Luke was back. And I have to say, he was a little perturbed. I heard Annabeth defeat her monster and move to help Grover. Poor Grover. He needs a proper weapon.

For once, luck was on my side. I dodged a strike and lunged, slashing at Luke's forearm. My strike landed. But it just glanced off his arm. His skin was made of steel. Not fair. He swung his sword in a deadly arc that would have spilled my guts had I not been starved for so long. He slashed again and landed a blow on my upper thigh. I swallowed hard. Luke backed up with a grin and jerked his head towards me. "How you holding up, princess?"

"Just fine, hon. Just fine," I replied. I heard a yelp and whipped around. Ethan Nakamura was trying to make his way to me. Percy was just in his way. A sudden realization came to me. They wanted me. Just me. "You want me, huh?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we do. You're a great bargaining chip." Luke bared his teeth.

"Am I now?" I asked innocently. Quick as a shifting shadow I darted behind Ethan and cracked him on the back of his head with the pommel of my sword. "Percy. Listen to me. Luke wants me. Just me." I saw Luke creeping towards me. "Wait. I'm negotiating, so to speak." I turned back to Percy. "I'm going to go with him. Better me than all of you. I'm not about to let you guys get hurt. Not after what you did for me."

"What's going on? Did you call a truce?" Annabeth came over with Tyson and Grover, her knife covered with monster dust. She looked at the expression on Percy's face then to mine. "No. No. You are not about to go hand yourself over to him. I won't stand for it."

"You guys saved my life. Annabeth, listen. I'm not about to let you guys get hurt for me. We barely know each other. And he can't be all that bad. He doesn't want to hurt me. All that much," I added, looking at my thigh. "Nothing permanent."

"How can you be sure?" Percy laid his hand on my arm. "I don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. Not one word." He shot a look at Luke, who tapped his wrist and pointed to me and mouthed now. Percy held up a finger. "Are you bent on this?"

"Yes. I can fight my way out of this one." I nodded towards Luke. "You guys be good. Be careful on your quest. Promise me that."

"You're worried about us?" Grover spluttered. "You realize who you're about to run off with, right?" he added at my smile.

I waved, sheathed my sword and said, "Don't follow. I'll find you guys. I'll listen to the shadows. Don't worry. Now go stand in the corner and swear to me, on the Styx, that you won't attack."

"But-" Percy started. I silenced him with a look. "We promise. On the river Styx."

"Good." I nodded. "See you soon." I winked and walked over to Luke. "I guess I'm going to need a new pair of these, right?" I held up my wrists so he could see the cuffs with the chain dangling between them.

"Got that right." He stepped forward and clamped a hand on my upper arm. His grip was enough to bruise. I grimaced before rearranging my face into an impassive expression. I saw Percy starting towards his pocket, where he kept his sword and glared at him so hard, I was sure he could feel it across the cavern we were in. He gave me a pleading glance. He looked like a sad dog. I shook my head once as I was walking across the room with Luke. Then I lost sight of them all. As soon as we were out of earshot, he threw me away from him and I instinctively went for my sword, which I had belted on when I woke up this morning. He pointed his sword at me and said, "Don't you even dare."

"Alright." I laughed and held up my hands in surrender. "So what's this all about, huh?"

"You ran. You escaped. You weren't supposed to do that."

This fired up my temper real quick. "Alright. So I was supposed to stay in that hellhole and let you torture me until I died? Let you do this to me?" I held up my shirt so he could see my ribs and twisted and lifted it past my shoulders. The bruises from the last couple days stood out on my skin. I yanked my shirt back down. "Are you alright with that? Hmm? Cause I'm not! Look at my wrists!" I shifted the shackles so he could see the rough scars from the first five months. I nodded coldly and turned towards the wall. An involuntary sob racked my body. They wouldn't stop. I openly cried in that hallway. I cried because of the pain, the fear, the loss.

Care entered Luke's voice. "Hey. Hey. It won't be like that this time. I promise. I won't do that you again." He gently laid his hand on my shoulder.

I hardened. I remembered Percy's words '_I don't trust anything that comes out of his mouth. Not one word'_. I turned to face my enemy. "And what will it be like this time? Fine wine and bread? A comfortable chamber for me to sleep?" I was openly mocking this guy now. "Well, then, my beloved, let us go." I held out an elbow for him. I smirked. "Exactly. It's going to be the same. Even worse. I know it is. I don't trust you. Percy was right. I only came to save my friends!" I yelled and gestured down the hallway. I turned to stalk away and only got a few steps before I felt the sharp point of his sword against my spine. I shook my head.

"Turn around. Slowly." Luke's cold voice came from behind me. I let out a cold laugh.

I turned slowly with my hands outstretched, wrists together. True to my thoughts, there he was with a length of rope in hand. Luke slid Backbiter into its scabbard and came forward. He turned me around and tied my hands behind my back. I made my face look impassive. A mask of stone. I closed my eyes and concentrated as I've never done before. I imagined myself melting into the shadow and emerging in the cavern where I woke up this morning. I opened my eyes. I was in the cavern. It worked.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Over where we were sleeping, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson were packing up their sleeping area. "Hey, guys, a little help here!" I said just loud enough for them to hear me. They turned around and I shrugged my shoulders painfully. Annabeth ran over and cut the ropes binding my hands. "He trusted me. Not the other way around, Percy," I said at the puzzled look on his face.

Tyson came over and grabbed my wrist and stuck something in the keyhole of my left cuff. It fell off as he twisted. I offered my other hand and he took off my right cuff. I nodded my thanks and rubbed my wrists, feeling the scars that I had acquired. Tyson grabbed me and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. I hugged him back, happy to be with friends. "So. On our way then." I heard a crashing coming from the tunnel where Luke was. "Quickly now."

Percy grinned and grabbed his and Annabeth's packs. He threw her hers and shouldered his. "Onward."

"Onward," the group agreed. We looked to the second tunnel that was along the outer edge that I hadn't noticed before. I shrugged and walked towards the opening. Percy and Annabeth went first, then Tyson and Grover, and I came last. As I put my first foot into the tunnel, I heard an angry shout somewhere to my left. That's where Luke was.

"Dangit!" I sprinted into the tunnel, almost running into the rest of the group. "Hurry now! Onward much! Luke is coming. And I do think he is slightly upset." An outraged shout came from behind us. Percy uncapped Riptide and ushered everyone ahead of him.

"Go!" he yelled. I unsheathed my sword and stood next to Percy, my chin raised defiantly. He looked at me and nodded. "Together then."

"Together," I agreed. Luke charged out of the dark and stopped short when he saw Percy and me standing shoulder to shoulder, swords raised. "Hello, sweetie."

"Honey," he growled. "I'm home." He swung his sword at Percy's shoulder and I willed the shadows to come to my aid. The shadows thickened and skeleton warriors emerged and charged Luke. Percy disengaged and backed away to watch Luke battle the skeletons that would not, could not, die. Whenever he would cut through them, they would reassemble.

I leaned over to Percy and whispered, "I didn't know I could do that!" he laughed as we backed down the tunnel. We turned and ran towards our friends. I knew that they had only gone about 20 feet down the tunnel. We ran into them laughing.

Annabeth asked, "What happened?"

Percy and I were laughing too much to answer but I finally gasped out a response. "Skeleton warriors…won't die…keep him busy…won't kill him though."

"Alrighty then," Grover said. "Then on we go."

"Wait, I have an idea," Percy said. "We're looking for Deadalus's workshop, right? Maybe Rachel can help. She can see through the Mist. She helped me last year with those skeleton thingies that were after me."

I could tell Annabeth wasn't happy with this solution. "Alright," she said, "Let's go get her."

"Uh, I need to look for Pan," Grover said.

Everyone looked at Grover. I nodded in agreement. "Take Tyson."

"It's not a good idea to split up. Especially in here," Annabeth said doubtfully.

"I can find them. I know I can. The shadows talk to me." I looked at Annabeth. She nodded.

"Go. Be careful. We'll catch up to you." Annabeth said. Grover and Tyson walked off into the tunnel. I sighed. I silently wished the shadows to guide them.

The three of us were quiet as we thought. "Shadow travel. I can shadow travel us there. I'm sure I can. Grab hold of something, everyone," I said. Annabeth grabbed my left hand and Percy grabbed my right hand.

"Step with me now. On three. One. Two. Three!" On three we all stepped forward into the shadow and emerged in a New York alleyway. Annabeth immediately let go. Percy slid his arm around my waist to steady me as the exhaustion hit. I waved him off after a minute. I didn't realize that shadow travelling would take that much out of me. "Oh, quick question. What all has happened on your quest? What have you blown up? Destroyed? Killed?"

"Oh. Ummm. I blew up Mount St. Helens on our first trip in there. This was our second trip together. We killed a group of hellhounds. And tried to destroy Kronos' scythe," Percy summarized. "Can you send something to my mom?"

"Yeah, sure. I can hand-deliver it if you give me five minutes. We can all go. So what is it?" I asked.

"A plant. I got it from Calypso's island. Oh, yeah, I went there after I blew up the mountain. I don't want it to die." He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a slightly wilted plant.

"Sure. I got you. Grab hold!" I held out my hands and Annabeth and Percy each grabbed a hand and again we stepped into the shadows.

We emerged in an apartment in Upper Eastside Manhattan. I quickly found the couch and sank onto it, knees shaking and put my head between my knees to ease my stomach. A couple minutes past when I heard a woman's voice say, "Percy? What's all this?"

"Mom!" Percy hugged his mother and pulled out the plant. "Can you plant this? I don't want it to die."

Let me just describe this woman for you. She has brown hair and blue eyes and a kind face. I could tell that she'd been pulling some late nights. She was really awesome. I knew that was where Percy got it from. Oh, and her name is Sally Jackson.

Ms. Jackson looked around at Annabeth then at me. I still hadn't gotten up. I didn't trust my stomach. Without a question, she came over and sat down next to me. "Are you all right?"

Not wanting to scare her or freak her out, I said simply, "I'm alright. I'll admit I've been better." I ran my hand through my hair. It was disgusting.

Ms. Jackson helped me up and said, "Go into the bathroom. It's right there. Just let me plant this and I'll be right there. You look like you need a hot shower to make you feel better."

"Thanks so much. You are amazing. I know where Percy gets it from," I said and winked at Percy. He turned beet red and Annabeth scowled. I gestured for her to come with. I knew we needed to talk.

"I'll just be a minute," Ms. Jackson said as she closed the bathroom door. I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub and Annabeth was perched on the counter.

"Alright," she said as the door clicked shut. "I like Percy. I've known him longer than you. I can easily outsmart you and defeat you as if you were nothing. Got that?"

"I know. I could tell that you liked him. I don't like him like that. Definitely not. I'm just teasing him. Embarrassing him. I would never come onto your man. Trust me," I held up my hands in mock surrender. I grinned. "You guys saved my life. You are my only and best friends. I would never hurt you guys. Now go out there and get your man back."

"He likes you," she blurted. "I can tell. The way he held you when we got to New York. He likes you."

"Aww. Not true. He's just a really nice guy. He saw me in pain and he tried to help. That's all. Believe me. He didn't have that look in his eye. I've seen it before. He doesn't look at me like that. He looks at you like that," I said. "Now go away. I'm gonna strip and show his mom my battle scars," I joked. Annabeth laughed and left, closing the door behind her.

I peeled off my socks and shoes. I hadn't taken them off in months. They were disgusting. I was disgusting. I took of my pants and t-shirt but left my panties and bra on for the time being. I piled my dirty clothes in the sink.

"Here. Let me wash those for you. You can borrow a bathrobe from me until they're done after your shower." She looked at me. "Do you want me to wash those too?", she said, pointing at what I was still wearing.

"You are amazing. Thank you so much." I stepped into the tub and drew the curtain and she looked at me with narrowing eyes, as if she was finally seeing how malnourished and scarred I was.

"No no. Come out here for a minute," she said. "Come on." I sighed and climbed back out of the tub, still with my undergarments on. I stood there as she looked over me, her expression getting more and more shocked as her eyes went from my ribs and sunken stomach to the gash on my thigh to my bruised shoulders and scarred wrists. "Oh, gods."

I sighed again. I felt bad for letting her look at me like this. "It's nothing, Ms. Jackson. Really. It's healing." She took a shaky breath. "I promise. It'll look a lot better in a couple days." I stepped back into the shower and drew the curtain. I could hear her breathing hard as I passed out my panties and bra out to her. Without a word, she dropped towels onto the counter, bundled up my clothes and walked out. I shook my head as I turned on the water and let it fall over me, washing the grime and dirt from my skin. I washed my hair twice and then washed my body. I took a deep breath and looked down at my body. Dang. I lied. _It looks a whole lot worse_, I thought, _now that I'm clean_. I turned off the water and wrapped myself in a towel. As if on cue, Ms. Jackson walked in holding a pile of clean clothes. Without all the grime and dirt, I barely recognized my own clothes.

"Oh, gods," Ms. Jackson looked at my shoulder and thigh. I hastily tucked my wrists into my armpits so she couldn't see them. I was pretty beat up and scarred. At least she wasn't there when Percy first found me.

I took my clothes from her and smiled. "Just let me get dressed and then I'll be out. You've been a gift, really."

She opened her mouth as if to say something and then quickly left with tears in her eyes. I dressed as fast as I could and neatly folded the towels on the counter. I said a quick prayer to whatever gods decided to listen to please let this quest go further without too much injury. I smiled and drew my hand through my wet hair. Much better, I thought.

I sat on the couch next to Percy. He gave me a look and said, "What did you do to my mom?" He had a protective look in his eyes and I immediately understood all that Annabeth liked about this guy.

"I didn't do a thing. She looked at all my scars and cuts and bruises and such and started crying. I swear. Not my fault!" I said as calm as I could. Percy looked just a little scary. At that moment, Annabeth came out of the kitchen, saw me sitting with Percy and gave me a look like 'really-I-thought-you-didn't-like-him'. I pursed my lips and gave her a look.

"You let her see all your cuts and everything, didn't you?" Annabeth asked. "Because she's in there sobbing about malnourishment and injury and bruised shoulders and scarred wrists."

"Crap. I thought I hid those from her." I looked at my wrists. I looked at Percy apologetically. "I'm sorry."

He didn't acknowledge my apology. "Stand up. Now!" I stood slowly and looked at him. I've never heard him so commanding before. "Take off your shirt." I started to protest. "I know you have something on underneath. Now off." I sighed. I lifted the shirt over my head and tossed it on the couch where I was sitting. He gestured for me to turn.

"Why?" I asked. "Do you really want to see the extent of my injuries?" He nodded. I slowly turned with my arms out to my sides. I didn't look at his face until I had finished my rotation twice. He had a look of absolute horror on his face. He gestured for me to drop my pants and I looked at him, eyes wide. "Excuse me?"

"I need to see the cut on your leg. And don't say you don't have one. I saw Luke cut you. You have a cut in your pants leg," Percy pointed. I made a face and pulled my pants down to my knees. I made two more rotations. As I stopped and pulled up my pants I took a good look at myself. I was really bashed up. I had bruises all up and down my legs, a long cut on my left thigh, a sunken and bruised stomach and ribs, a hand-shaped bruise on my upper arm from Luke, my wrists were red and scarred, my shoulders were a mass of purple and blue bruises. I shook my head and pulled on my shirt.

"Sage, you can't blame him. You look like hell. Really," Annabeth said, nodding and gesturing to me.

"So? That's what happens when you're a punching bag for five months and a chandelier for a while too. Cut me some slack, okay?" I said. I had some venom in my voice. Like I asked to be beat on and hung from a ceiling. I looked over to the kitchen and saw Ms. Jackson standing in the kitchen doorway. She had a hand up to her mouth. "I'm sorry. We really should go." I looked at Annabeth and Percy. "I'm really, really sorry." I grabbed Percy's hand as Annabeth slipped hers into mine. I backed into the shadows and we melted.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

We emerged onto a busy Manhattan road and Percy immediately turned away from me. Annabeth gave a sorry look and went to go talk to Percy. I kind of overheard their conversation.

"Percy, it's not her fault. You can't be mad at her," Annabeth said.

"I can be mad at Luke. And yes, I can be mad at her. And I will." Percy shook his head. "Do you see how her ribs show? How bruised she is? She looks like she regularly gets beaten to a pulp! And she acts as if it's nothing!"

Annabeth shot me a look. It was a sympathetic look. "Come on. She didn't ask for this. Acting like it's nothing is a defense. It stops her from brooding and becoming depressed. She's been through hell and back. And I know that she started to like Luke a bit. And he liked her. He likes her. But they know that they need to hate each other. I saw it in her eyes when she was talking to him this morning. Don't hold all this against her, okay?"

"She's one of my best friends. I know that's weird seeing as how we just met her, but she's had my back in fights already. I don't like to see my friends hurt. Especially not that bad." He gestured vaguely back to me. "It's horrible. I can't stand it."

"You'll get through this. We'll get through this. What she needs now is your support." Annabeth laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go find your mortal friend."

"We ready to go?" I asked. I was eager to get going after what I just heard. I didn't want all that awkwardness.

"Yep. Let's go." he said. "Where's Rachel going to be?" I asked.

"She's right there," Percy said and pointed to a couple of statues on the sidewalk. There was a gold one, a silver one, a bronze one, and a couple of other statues. "She's the gold one."

We walked over and true enough they were _real_ people. But they were still as well, statues. A guy painted entirely in silver came over, took a pose and Rachel stepped down. "Drinks?" she asked and walked off.

After a while, she had agreed to come with us into the labyrinth. Annabeth wasn't quite ecstatic about this. Rachel led us to the Marriot and down to the basement. As she pushed aside a big laundry basket, I pointed to the symbol of Deadalus, Δ, on the wall, and Annabeth touched it. It began to glow and a section of the wall slid back to reveal the labyrinth in all its living, vile, glory.

"Welcome back, everyone," I said and stepped into the maze again. Once everyone was in, the wall slid shut and we were in darkness.

"This way," Rachel said and strode off into the gloom. We shrugged and followed. "I can see it. It's like a glowing trail. Kind of. I don't know. I just see it," she said as we walked, taking turns as she said so. Eventually we came to a crossway with three tunnel choices. Rachel thought we should take the middle one. Alright. I was cool with that.

After a while, the walking became monotonous. I zoned out and just kept walking. Then we heard footsteps. We looked at each other. From what we could tell, the footsteps were in front of us. So naturally, we ran back the way we came. But of course, we ran into two dracaenae and an empousa. Percy seemed to know this monster. "Percy. Do explain," I said, folding my arms. I was tired with all this. I wanted to find the workshop and get out.

"Ah. See, well, she was at my school. And she blew it up. And tried to kill me. That's pretty much it," he shrugged. "We can kill her if you'd like? Oh, and her name is Kelli."

Before I could react, Kelli leapt forwards and grabbed Rachel. With her talons to Rachel's throat she egged us forwards. I sighed and dropped my shoulders. I was so done with all this. So done. We started to follow and met the large footsteps we originally ran from. It was a Laestrygonian giant. Of course, it was.

I turned to Percy. "Really? Really! I am not about to fight my way out of this for you. Nope. Just going to sit on the wall and watch."

"Why are you blaming me? It's not my fault!" Percy protested. "What are those?" he pointed to a pair of 10 foot tall bronze doors.

"Don't know. You?" I turned to Annabeth.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say bronze doors," she replied, grinning.

"Indeed." I laughed. Then Percy was laughing. The only one not laughing was Rachel. And I could see why. Human shield and all. "I'm sorry. I feel you, I really do," I told her.

The doors opened to a large arena whose walls were made of skulls. Classy. Then came the stands. They were filled with demons, monsters, and demigods. And in the seats of honor or whatever you want to call them was Luke. Perfect. And some other red guy. I cocked my hip.

"Honey," I cried to him, "I'm home." I smirked up at him shaking with silent laughter.

"I see that. Welcome back. I'll kill you later, sweetie, alright?" Luke took on a mocking tone that he apparently hoped to annoy me or something.

"That's cool. Three o'clock good for you?"

"S'alright with me." he leaned back and laid Backbiter across his knees. Seeing as how I wasn't about to deal with him today or anybody else, I zoned out and stared around the room while he was talking. When everyone started cheering, I started paying attention.

"Percy, what's going on?" I asked. He turned and gave me a look of disbelief.

"Were you not paying attention?"

"Umm. Nope." I dragged the toe of my shoe through the dirt like a chastised school girl. "Sorry. So what are we doing?"

"See that big red angry guy?" Percy asked. I nodded. "My brother. And we're fighting him to the death."

"We?"

"Yep."

"Ugh." I sighed. "I don't have time for this today." I looked over at Percy. "Fine then…let's kick some red giant butt."

Percy nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Fighting this guy was like fighting an entire beach. He kept reforming every time we slashed at him or tried to kill him. He was a son of Gaea. Mother of the Earth. All that happy stuff. Percy and I looked at each other and immediately we knew what to do. Get him off the ground. There were chains hanging from the ceiling that were sort of low, I guess.

"Yo, slow poke!" I taunted, "Catch me if you can!" I jumped and caught the edge of the chain and began to climb. Percy did the same, each of us climbing on different chains. We reached a certain height and stopped. Hanging. Waiting. Sure enough the red guy, Antaeus if we're being formal, began to climb and follow us. Percy swung around him and wrapped him in the chains.

"You may do the honors," Percy said and waved his hand towards the struggling Antaeus. I slashed with my sword and watched as he crumbled to dirt and didn't reform, the earth not rising to heal him.

"Is that our cue to run?" I asked as Luke snarled and rose from his seat.

"Yep." Percy took a whistle out of his pocket and blew. It must have been broken. It didn't make a sound. "Okay, then." Just as he spoke, a hellhound burst into the room and threw the Laestrygonian giants across the room. Kelli got tossed into Luke's lap. She didn't look too upset if you ask me. "Run!"

We sprinted toward the exit with Rachel in the lead. We followed her directions without question. No remarks were made when she told us all to duck not a moment before a giant ax would have sliced us in half. We took turn after turn and didn't stop for god knows how long.

Eventually, we stopped in a cavern with old Romanesque columns. I looked around. This place never failed to impress. We decided to camp there for the night. I took first watch. I still didn't want to sleep after everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. "I got this," I said as Percy opened his mouth to say something. "Really."

"I wasn't going to say anything about watch." He tossed me a granola bar. "Eat this. You need it." He wasn't looking at my face. He was looking at my stomach.

"Dude. It's not that bad. Really. I just lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time. I'll be back to normal soon. Trust me," I mumbled as I unwrapped the granola bar. I took a bite. It was good. "Go to sleep. You've had a long day."

I was propped up on the wall as I scanned the room. Nothing out of the ordinary. The fire that we had lit did make things a little creepy. But I could do creepy. Just not scary. I didn't do well with scary. I just couldn't handle it.

The room started to shake gently. Annabeth shot up, eyes wide. We took one look at each other and I lunged to wake up Rachel. Annabeth shook Percy awake and screamed, "Earthquake!"

We grabbed our packs and dashed towards the tunnel that Rachel indicated. A column crashed to the floor behind us as we made it to the tunnel. We kept running. I was not about to get smashed by a hunk of rock after coming this far. No, sir.

I ran straight into Rachel. I didn't notice she had stopped. She turned around and said, "Sorry."

"Where are we? Close?" I asked. I was getting excited. After all my years wandering the maze, I had never found Daedalus. I wanted to meet this guy.

"Yeah. Real close. Come one." Rachel beckoned us forwards. After a few more yards, we saw a set of doors with the symbol of Daedalus. "We're here."

"Awesome." I didn't wait for anyone. I pushed open the doors and walked inside. It looked like an art studio. In other words, really great. Easels were everywhere. Laptops were open and on their screensavers. A half-eaten muffin sat on a workbench. "Guys, he's here."

"Yeah. This place has been used recently." Percy picked up the muffin and turned it in his hands. He set it back on the table.

"Yes. My workshop is my home," a voice came from the stairs leading up the second level. Down came Daedalus and the hellhound who had saved our skin. "This is Mrs. O'Leary. The only _tame_ hellhound and my companion for over two millennia."

"You're supposed to be dead. Pardon my manners." I peered at him and put my hand on my hip. "I would know. No human survives for that long unless…" I lunged forward and smacked his elbow. A panel opened on his forearm. Gears spun below the surface.

"You're an automaton." Annabeth looked at the gears. "You transferred your soul to an automaton. That's impossible."

"This is my fifth body." He sighed. "So it is possible. I've escaped death for millennia."

"I can tell," I said. "People shouldn't cheat death."

"You're right. They shouldn't," came a new voice.

"Ever considered knocking, Minos?" I asked as I turned around. "Hello again."

"I have come for payment, Daedalus," Minos said, ignoring me.

Let me explain something real quick. Minos is a ghost. There is a rule in the Underworld. You can exchange a soul for a soul. Clearly, that was what Minos was after. Daedalus's soul for Minos. Minos would live again. Now you know.

Minos was hovering there with mist curling off his robes. Kelli was there, of course. And two Laestrygonians held Nico, whose wrists were chained. I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I knew how he felt.

"Percy, I'm so sorry," Nico said softly. "This is my fault."

"Shut it," Kelli snarled. Her appearance shifted. She had a donkey leg, a bronze leg, flaming hair, talons. Okay. She's an empousa. Alright.

"Get him!" Minos shouted and pointed to Daedalus. Then it was chaos. Nico was thrown to the side, and everyone engaged in battle. I drew my sword and charged Kelli. I was seriously tired with this chick. I slashed and she exploded to dust.

"Come on, guys!" Rachel was standing by the wall. There hung six sets of bronze wings. Rachel already had hers attached. Nico sprinted over to her. Somehow, he had managed to get his wrists free. He let Rachel attach his wings and then helped Annabeth get her's on. Percy backed up with his sword drawn. I was already over there and Nico helped me into my wings. His hands were cold on my skin and I could tell that he wasn't a fan of sunlight.

"Daedalus, come on!" Percy shouted.

"I can't leave Mrs. O'Leary! Go without me!" he shouted back as he fought the giants.

Percy shook his head as Annabeth attached his wings. I could feel the wind catching them. I jumped out the window after Percy. I spread my arms out and glided. Somewhere next to me, Percy was flapping his arms like a spaz.

"Spread your wings, Percy! Glide!" Annabeth yelled. She was drifting along with ease. The only one who was having problems was Percy. He spread his wings and immediately turned his decent into a steep dive. "We should set down soon. I don't trust these wings."

We searched for somewhere to land. Nico pointed out a balcony and we alit there like five oversized birds. Not wanting to be seen with bronze and silver wings, we tore them off and stuffed them in a garbage can. I looked back towards the mountain where the workshop was. It was gone.

"I'm going to get us a ride. I'm pretty sure I can get that guy to drive us," Rachel said and pointed to a sleek black car with a chauffeur. She walked up to the guy and exchanged a few words with him. His face went from impassive to submissive. He opened the back door for Rachel and she gestured for us to come and join her. We climbed into the backseat. I was squished between Percy and Nico. I turned to Nico.

"So, you're my brother, huh?" I asked nonchalantly. He looked pale and worn.

"Yeah. Guess so. How'd you get away from Luke?" he asked, now curious about me. My stomach twisted at Luke's name.

"Percy, Annabeth and them saved me. I didn't think I was going to make it. How'd you get out of your cuffs?" I nodded towards his wrists.

"I don't know. It just happened. I can't explain it." Nico folded his hands in his lap. "You're pretty cool. I like you."

"Aww. I'm touched." I placed a hand over my heart. Then I placed it on top of his hands. "Thank you. You gave me hope again. You saved my life just as much as Percy." I smiled at him.

'Pull off the highway! I saw something!" Rachel yelled to the driver. He pulled off the highway and Rachel directed him to a mining museum. She ran up to the padlock on an old mine shaft. Sure enough, there was the Greek letter 'L' on the lock. Percy touched it and the chains fell away. "And here we are."

We all walked inside and took directions from Rachel. She stopped short at the entrance to a tunnel. A slight breeze was coming from it. It smelled like…

"California. Eucalyptus." I pointed to the tunnel. "We're not going that way, right?" I asked.

"Nope." Rachel shuddered. "Not at all."

Percy took a step towards the tunnel. "I'm going to check it out."

"You can't!" Annabeth said.

"I can and I will." Percy took a backwards step towards the tunnel. "You can't stop me."

"Tell you what," I said. "I'll go with you. How about it?" I looked at Percy. He sighed and nodded. "Off we go."

We walked quickly but quietly down the tunnel. We came out on Mt. Othrys. This was the Titan palace thing. Percy gestured at me to follow. I didn't see why not so I followed. We came to a couple telekhines (did I mention I _hate_ sea demons) and none other than Ethan Nakamura. I went for my sword, but Percy put a hand on my arm and shook his head. We turned our attention back towards the demons.

"It must be bathed in blood," one of the sea demon's said. He gestured to a six foot long scythe. The one that Kronos had used to chop up his dad. It was re-forged. My heart hardened. Percy and I snuck past them and approached a golden tomb in another room. Written on it in something that wasn't Greek was 'Kronos Lord of Time'. It was a language of magic.

I looked at Percy and shrugged. We grabbed the edge of the lid and pushed. It fell to the floor with a thud and I gasped. Inside was Luke! He had a small piece of his chest missing. He looked pretty dead. I poked his chest and it was cold.

I looked at Percy and said, "He didn't die. I would have known."

"Quick, hide!" he said and pulled me behind the casket. I heard the telekhines and Nakamura approaching. The telekhines said something about a pledge and Ethan knelt at the sarcophagus and pledged himself to Kronos. Dear god. When Ethan finished, Luke sat up in the coffin and opened his eyes. They weren't blue anymore. They were gold.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He leapt out of the sarcophagus with ease. The demons presented his scythe and swung it around. I knew the legend. One touch would sever your soul from your body. Fun. Percy and I crept towards the exit. We tried to stay hidden. It didn't work.

"Hello, there," Kronos said.

We turned like kids who were caught trying to sneak out at night. I waved and smiled. "We were just going," I said and pointed over my shoulder towards the exit. We started backing up slowly. Like time almost stopped slow.

Kronos laughed and swung his scythe in real time. He walked towards us. Out of nowhere, a blue hairbrush flew towards the Lord of Time and hit him dead in the eye. "Ow!" and the voice was Luke's.

Percy and I bolted towards the exit, the time spell broken. At the entrance stood Rachel. We grabbed her and ran. Nico was a little ways back and saw Kronos running after us. He clapped his hands and the tunnel behind us collapsed. We kept running. I soon overtook Percy and was in the lead. I tripped over a tree root and went sprawling.

"Ow." I rolled over onto my elbows and saw a floppy green cap lying in the dirt beside me. I picked it up and held it up to Percy. "That's Grover's. He must have gone up this tunnel."

"Yeah." Percy held out his hand and helped me up, wincing. I now had bruises on my elbows and knees to add to my portfolio of bodily damage. Fun. "We have to go after them."

"Let's go," Annabeth said and took the lead. We followed the tunnel for an hour or so and came to a cavern that was filled with wildlife. In the center was a large bed and a giant satyr. A very, very old satyr. Kneeling at its bedside were Grover and Tyson. Grover seemed to be crying.

"Pan!" I walked forwards and knelt next to Grover, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"You came." The satyr spoke with a voice that held decades of weariness and pain. We all nodded in response. "Good. The wild is gone. There's no getting it back. You all need to help save what is left. All of you. Percy Jackson, you doubt. When the time comes, fear will not control you. Annabeth Chase, you will play a great role, but not the expected role. Tyson, your name will live on forever. Ms. Rachel Dare…"

Rachel was shocked to be addressed by a god.

"…you are just as important as your father. Remember that. And Grover. Carry my message."

"No. no. I can't."

"You are the bravest satyr. You have a true heart. You never doubted. Save the wild. All of you. I give you my final blessing," Pan finished and closed his eyes. He dissolved and a white mist curled into each of our mouths. All the animals and wildlife withered and turned to dust.

"Let's go." Grover put on his cap. "The great god Pan is dead."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Rachel led us back to the Marriot basement. It was a short trip but, with what we'd all seen, it felt so taxing. We climbed up the stairs and found a door that led us to an alleyway. Percy closed his eyes and about a minute later, six pegasi came soaring down. The black Pegasus cocked his head.

"Yeah. They're all coming. Not Rachel though" addressing the black steed. Percy looked at Rachel. "Sorry."

"No no. That's fine. I knew I wasn't allowed to come. Have fun saving the world, guys." Rachel backed out of the alley and disappeared into the chaos of New York.

Percy turned to us and said, "Pick one and get on." He walked up to the black Pegasus and climbed on like he'd been born to ride. Annabeth and Grover and Tyson all got on alright but the pegasi didn't seem too fond of Nico and me. Percy looked at our pegasi and they whinnied and let us climb on. Nico didn't seem too happy to be going back to camp. I'd never been and knew I wasn't going to stay. Out pegasi took off and flew over Manhattan.

We landed in the middle of a semi-circle of cabins. Each cabin looked somewhat like the personality of the god they represented. A centaur galloped up to us with an old, fat satyr trotting in his wake. Percy explained everything that had happened with Daedalus and Kronos. The centaur looked quizzically at Nico but made no comment.

"Oh, and this is Sage, Chiron," Percy said and pointed at me. "Chiron, this is Sage, daughter of Hades."

"Hello," I said and waved at Chiron.

Chiron nodded at me but was interrupted by the satyr. "Where have you been, Grover? You're searcher's license has been revoked."

"They don't matter anymore. Pan is dead," Grover whispered and hung his head. "The great god Pan is dead."

"No! I refuse to believe it. Sacrilege! You will be exiled!" the satyr screamed.

"Silenus, this matter can wait," Chiron said, very calmly. "It has waited for two millennia; it can wait a little longer. We have more pressing matters to deal with. Annabeth, go help your cabin mates."

"What of Nico and I? We'll help wherever we can," I adjusted myself on my Pegasus. "I'm ready to help defend whatever this camp is called."

"Camp Half-Blood," Nico whispered in my ear.

"Help see to the defenses and get ready for battle." Chiron turned and galloped off. I slid off my Pegasus and walked up to Percy.

"What now?" I asked. There were already Greek fire traps, barbed wire, and a whole bunch of other defenses.

"Grab a shield and get ready to fight." He drew his sword and walked off to find a shield.

I looked at my brother. 'You ready to fight?"

He nodded and drew his sword. As he walked off with Chiron, the ground began to rumble beneath our feet. Laestrygonian giants burst out and the camp attacked. As the giants were fighting and almost getting completely wiped out, about forty dracaenae burst forth and engaged everyone in sight. I stood by Nico's side and we fought together. A hellhound leapt forwards and Nico speared it with his sword, sucking the monster's essence into the iron of his sword. I saw a forest fire and as I ran over to help, a wave of water appeared and doused it. Percy blew his hair out of his eyes like it was nothing. I looked at him and he shrugged.

A dozen dracaenae were walking deliberately towards Nico and Percy yelled out a warning. Nico held out his sword and summoned the dead. Twelve skeleton warriors erupted from the ground and battled the monsters. I grinned at him. I engaged a demigod that came at me yelling like a demented banshee. I really didn't want to hurt this guy. I jumped back as his sword swung towards my chest. I just managed to evade his blade. I stepped past his guard and clubbed him over his head with my sword. I glanced around at the battle raging around me. We seemed on even ground. Then Kampê burst out of the labyrinth and Percy and Annabeth raced forwards to fight her. Chiron cursed and started firing arrows at her. If Kampê wasn't fast, she'd be dead.

I raced towards Percy and Annabeth. We tried attacking but she had animal heads around her waist that were oh to happy to devour us. I leapt back as a lion head snapped at me. Kampê lurched forwards and slammed Percy and I to the ground under one foot and Annabeth under her other foot. I thought, '_well, this is it_.' I was dead.

I heard a familiar woof and Mrs. O'Leary flew over our heads and tackled Kampê. I looked at the entrance to the labyrinth and saw Daedalus climbing out, slaying all the monsters in his path. With him was Briares. A Hundred-Handed One. He picked up a boulder in each hand and threw them at Kampê. It was an impressive sight. The monster disappeared under a pile of boulders. I whipped around at a yell and saw that Chiron went down. His back legs were out and he was on the ground. I knew the tables had turned. We were done. Then Grover opened his mouth and let forth an unearthly cry. It was like 10,000 brass trumpets all at once. The enemy froze and bolted back towards the entrance to the labyrinth. The entrance rumbled shut. The battle was over.

I looked over and saw Nico on the ground with a ring of dead grass around him. His hands were clenched and he was drenched in sweat. I ran over to him. "Percy!"

Percy sprinted over and turned Nico onto his back. I could feel how close to death he was. His heart was barely beating. "Nectar!" Percy yelled and held out his hand. An Apollo camper handed him a canteen and Percy trickled a little of the godly drink into Nico's mouth. He coughed and sat up slowly.

"I've never tried summoning that many before. I'm good." He looked around and found the inventor. "Daedalus."

"I came to correct a mistake. To right my wrong." He smiled. "I found Briares on my way. He joined me."

Percy frowned. "The Titan army is still down there. They'll be back."

"Yes. So the labyrinth must be destroyed." He sheathed his sword. "I must die." Annabeth gasped. "My dear, I have a gift for you." He reached into a satchel and brought out one of the laptops from the workshop. "I want you to have this. It has all my work on it. Study it. I hope you'll find it interesting."

"So you're just going to die?" I asked. This guy, this really cool guy was just going to die. "Just like that?"

Daedalus nodded and looked at Nico. "Do you want my soul for your sister?" Nico shook his head. "Percy, will you care for Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Yes." Percy sounded shocked.

Daedalus turned to Nico, who shakily stood. I slid my arm around his waist and took some of his weight. "Go. Be at rest," Nico said.

Daedalus smiled and his body crumbled into dust. Mrs. O'Leary howled with grief. I felt the earth tremble and shudder as the labyrinth crumbled and collapsed.

"We have work to do," Percy said, and he walked off.

That night, at the campfire, we burned two burial shrouds. One for Lee Fletcher of the Apollo cabin, who was downed by a giant's club. And one for Castor, son on Dionysus, who was killed by an enemy demigod. The next day was spent treating the wounded. My leg wound from my earlier fight with Luke was finally healed. It left a long, deep scar on my thigh. Ms. Jackson is not going to be pleased, I thought. My shoulders were still bruised. I had my first good meal in months.

At noon, the Council of Cloven Elders was supposed to meet. Chiron was there in a wheelchair, and I didn't know how that was possible. Three of the oldest satyrs I had ever seen were there as well. Dryads and satyrs were gathered around the grove. Silenus was bent on exiling Grover but Chiron said it was only right to give supporting evidence first. Everyone who was on the quest gave witness to what Pan had said. Then witnesses from the battle gave an account of Grover's strange noise.

Juniper, Grover's girlfriend, said, "Panic. That's the only answer. He summoned Pan."

I leaned over to Percy and asked, "Panic?" He shrugged.

Chiron explained, "Pan gave a cry during the first Titan war. It scared away the enemy. That was his greatest power. Grover called it forth."

Silenus went on to say that Grover was sacrilege and needed to be exiled. He called froth a vote and asked who would believe 'this ridiculous satyr', to quote him directly.

And then I met a second god. Dionysus walked forward into the grove. "I would."

The satyrs bowed respectively. Dionysus made a new chair appear with a wave of his hand and sat. A satyr brought forward a Diet Coke, which I didn't understand. I decided not to ask. 'The minor gods are taking sides in this upcoming war," he said without preamble. "The God of Dreams has sided with Kronos. Along with Nemesis, Janus, and Hecate. I don't know how many more." He gestured to Grover. "Let me hear your story."

At this point I got really bored and slowly backed out of the clearing. I didn't stop walking until I was almost at the edge of the woods. I turned around and saw Percy and Nico. They followed me. For real? "What?" I snapped.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked. He sounded snappy and irritated. "You can't just leave."

"How do you plan to stop me? Hmm?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "How?"

"I don't know! But you can't leave! Nico, back me up here." he turned to Nico. But Nico wasn't there. He had shadow traveled away.

"I don't want to stay. I'm a loner. I've wandered by myself for years. I don't need a camp." I nodded to where Nico was not a minute before. "And neither does he. Sure, he's younger than me. He's – what – 12? Children of Hades are loners. Wanderers. I need to go, Percy."

"Stay for another day. Another week. You can sleep in my cabin. I can get Chiron to agree. That way you wouldn't be crammed into the Hermes cabin." He held out his hand for me to take.

'One night. That's it." I took his hand. "Then I'm gone."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Percy talked to Chiron and, sure enough, I could hang with him for a day. Alright, fine. But I wasn't about to get attached to a camp. I don't like to be confined to a certain place. The next day, before I could slip into the forest, Percy pulled me aside. "Do me a favor. Come by my place. Sometime this August. Before school starts."

"I can do that. But I really need to go," I said and slipped my arm out of his grip. "Bye, Percy." I walked into the woods and slipped into the shadows. I came out in a corner of Sally Jackson's living room. I hated to drop in on her unannounced, but I had promised her.

"Sage?" she called from the kitchen. "Is that you?"

I walked slowly into the kitchen and leaned on the door frame. "Yep. Hi, Ms. Jackson."

She took one look at me and sighed. I didn't look malnourished anymore and most of my bruises from the battle were already fading. I didn't have that sick pallor to my face anymore. A couple days fighting in the sun can do wonders for your complexion. I still had scars but they weren't all that bad. She came forward and gave me a hug. I hugged her back. It felt great to have a mother figure in my life again.

"Oh, sit down, please," she said and gestured to a chair. I sat on the edge as she sat and surveyed me.

"I only stopped by to check in. Say I didn't lie. I did get better. Fresh air and sunshine. And care", I said smiling. "Thank you." I took her hand. "When is Percy's birthday? August something, isn't it?"

"August 18th. Why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, with that inquisitive motherly look.

"He told me to drop by and visit sometime in August. Can I stop by for his birthday?" I asked tentatively. "I didn't want to drop by if I wasn't welcome."

"Of course. I won't tell him either. It'll be our surprise." She laughed.

I stood up and backed towards the door. "I'll be off. There are some things that I need to take care of. But don't worry. I'll be back." I smiled and melted into the shadows.

I wandered around picking up intel on Kronos's army. I almost lost track of the days. I practiced my swordsmanship. I was pretty good now. But August 18th rolled around and I remembered my promise to Percy and his mom. I slipped in through his bedroom window that night. It was a place full of shadows! Don't judge! It makes shadow travelling easier! And I didn't want to scare everyone there. I had my sword on my hip and black clothes on. I felt more comfortable in dark clothes. It's a Hades thing (don't you dare call me Goth!). I don't expect you to understand.

I stepped out of his bedroom and leaned against the wall. I waited for him to notice I was there. He saw me after about two minutes of me being there. He ran forward and gave me a hug. "You remembered," he whispered in my ear.

"Of course I did." I pulled back and looked at him. "So…Fifteen. Your nine days older than me. Congrats."

He pointed to my sword. "You want to leave that in my room? I don't want to freak Paul out." I nodded and unhooked by sword from my belt. I dropped it on his bed and came back out to the party. All the food was blue. Not a problem with me.

We laughed and joked and had a good time. After a while, I slipped, unnoticed, into his room, belted on my sword and stepped out onto the fire escape. I ran right into Nico.

"What were you doing in his room?" Nico's tone was accusatory.

"I came to the party and this is a convenient escape. And I had to get my sword. It was on his bed." I winked. "You. Why are you here?"

"Need to talk to Percy." Nico leaned against the side of the building. He was as tall as me now and wore dark torn jeans.

I ruffled his hair. "Be careful, little bro." I walked towards the shadows in the corner. "I'll be seeing you. Tell Percy I said bye. Tell him I'll be around." I nodded and slipped into the shadows. I emerged in my father's gardens. I sighed. I'd be back. I couldn't leave Percy forever. I'd see him soon. Real soon.


End file.
